COUNTRY
NAME
: Republic of the Philippines
FORM OF GOVERNMENT
: Democratic
CAPITAL
: Metro Manila
INTRODUCTION
The PHILIPPINES is located in Southeast Asia
& is Asia's First Democratic country. It is
the third largest English-speaking nation in the
world after USA & UK with 90M population and
95% literacy rate. Philippines is the world's
largest exporter of Nurses & second largest
exporter of Doctors after India. It is also one
of the world's largest exporter of Marine
Engineers, Ship Captains & Officers.
The
visitor to Metro Manila commonly sees the
Philippines as the most westernized of Asian
countries and in many ways it is. But there is
also a rich underlay of Malay culture beneath
the patina of Spanish and American heritage.
National cultural life is a happy marriage of
many influences, as the indigenous Malay culture
is assimilated and adapted to different strains
in a practice typical of Malay temperament. An
upsurge of Philippine nationalism stimulated a
desire to preserve the ancient heritage without
restricting its openness to foreign artistic
influence.
Before the Spanish explorers came, Indo-Malays
and Chinese merchants had settled here. In 1521
the Spaniards, led by Ferdinand Magellan,
discovered the islands. The Spanish
conquistadors established a colonial government
in Cebu in 1565. They transferred the seat of
government to Manila in 1571 and proceeded to
colonize the country. The Filipinos resisted and
waged Asia's first nationalist revolution in
1896. On June 12, 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo
declared the Philippines independent from Spain
and proclaimed himself president. After ruling
for 333 years, the Spaniards finally left in
1898 and were replaced by the Americans who
stayed for 48 years. 1902 was the beginning of
the American era, a period characterized by the
expansion of public education, advances in
health care and the introduction of democratic
government. The outbreak of war in the Pacific
in 1941 disrupted American rule. Manila was
declared an open city and the Americans withdrew
their defenses. For three years, Manila was
occupied by the Japanese imperial forces. Life
at that time was made difficult by strict
Japanese military rule. When the American troops
entered Manila to liberate it, they had to bomb
the city to dislodge the tenacious Japanese.
Manila was devastated. On July 4, 1946, the
Americans recognized Philippine independence.
GEOGRAPHY
The Philippine archipelago is geographically
located between latitude 4023'N and 21025'N and
longitude 1160E and 1270E. It is composed of
7,107 islands, with a land area of 299,764
sq.kilometers. Its length measures 1,850
kilometers, starting from the point near the
southern tip of Taiwan and ending close to
northern Borneo. Its breadth is about 965
kilometers. The Philippine coastline adds up to
17,500 km. Three prominent bodies of water
surround the archipelago: the Pacific Ocean on
the east, the South China Sea on the west and
north, and the Celebes Sea on the south. This
position accounts for much of the variations in
geographic, climatic and vegetation conditions
in the country.The country has over a hundred
ethnic groups and a mixture of foreign
influences which have molded a unique Filipino
culture.
The
Philippines' fertile land accounts for the more
than 900 species of orchids representing 100
genera that have been found. The sampaguita is
the national flower. Among the country's fauna
are some endangered species like the Philippine
Eagle, the tarsier, and the mouse deer.
Metro
Manila is strategically located in the middle of
Luzon, on the eastern coast of Manila Bay and at
the mouth of the Pasig River, sprawled over an
area of 626 sq.km. Manila sits in the middle of
a swampy deltaic plain formed by accumulated
sedimentary deposits from the Pasig River and
other streams.
TIME ZONE
GMT
+ 8 hours. Check out the Philippine
Standard Time
CLIMATE
The
Philippines has a tropical climate with
relatively abundant rainfall and gentle winds.
There are three pronounced seasons: the wet or
rainy season from June to October, the cool, dry
season from November to February, and the hot,
dry season from March to May.
Temperature
in Manila ranges from 21°C to 32°C with a 27°C
average. The coolest month is January and the
warmest is May. Both temperature and humidity
levels reach the maximum in April and May, but
these are generally good months for aquasports
and mountain trekking. Some of the most colorful
festivals are held during these months
LANGUAGE
Two
official languages - Filipino and English.
Filipino, which is based on Tagalog, is the
national language. English is also widely used
and is the medium of instruction in higher
education.
ECONOMY
Due to the combined effect of the Asian
financial crisis and poor weather conditions,
GDP growth in 1998 fell to about-0.5% from 5% in
1997, but recovered to about 3% in 1999 and 3.6%
in 2000. Upon assuming office, President Arroyo
and her Economic Team put in place an economic
plan to ensure that the economy is on track for
equitable development and sustainable growth.
The Philippine Economic Plan comprises a
comprehensive set of fiscal discipline measures
and market reforms linked to clear targets. This
plan recognizes that a stable macroeconomic
environment is a pre-requisite to stimulating
investment and sustainable growth. It integrates
a well-coordinated set of strategic fiscal and
monetary policy priorities that support a sound
fiscal and debt position, low rates and
inflation, and healthy current account levels.
It also outlines guidelines related to good
governance practices that ensure that reforms
are effective and long lasting.
